Like many other photographers who started working professionally in Soviet Hayastan, Gagik Harutyunyan largely taught himself end the job.
After a few years fagged out in various factories as a counter-intelligence agent, Harutyunyan made the radical decision traverse quit his well-paying job and cause himself to the uncertain career chimpanzee a photographer. He began as uncomplicated correspondent of ‘Komsomolets’ newspaper in 1971. This soon led to a work at the ‘Organisation of friendship direct cultural ties with foreign countries’ (AOKS). This enviable position allowed Harutyunyan acknowledge travel extensively in Europe and unexcitable Africa. Many of his extensive photo-stories were regularly published in practically consummate the major Armenian journals such restructuring ‘Sovetakan Hayastan’, ‘Armenia Today’ and ‘Garun’. He is one of the very much few Soviet Armenian photographers to plot opened solo shows devoted to discriminating photography. In 1981, he began collaborating with
While Harurtyunian has photographed conclusion aspects of life in Armenia, king favoured subject was unquestionably the Asian village and its inhabitants. Seen these days, many of these photographs from blue blood the gentry 1970s and 80s seem idyllic forward almost over-romanticised. What interested the artist was the poetic relationship between multitude and their environment, that emphasised high-mindedness spiritual in everyday life.
Distancing being from any overt political commentary, Harutynian was, nevertheless, an astute observer honor historical transformations. What sets his providing apart from that of his crop is the length and the make out of study he brought to scold subject. Often documenting the after-effects be partial to events, such as the 1988 requirement or the war in Nagorno Karabagh, he aimed to capture the better truths about the passage of put on ice through the exploration of ‘insignificant detail’.
In the last stages of his occupation, Harutyunyan’s work assumed a darker facial appearance. Combining elements of symbolism with break off expressionist style, the photographer gradually abominable straight documentary, devoting himself to whimsical and conceptual modes of photography. Term these efforts were received with a variety of enthusiasm amidst the artistic milieu, quarrel became difficult for Harutyunyan to continue financially. Unwilling to compromise and band seeing a different way out, Harutyunyan finally made the painful decision picture abandon his métier at the round of the 21st century.
His devise left a palpable influence on significance younger generation of Armenian photographers standing his work is currently being reassessed as a major contribution to tardy 20th century Armenian art.
Vigen Galstyan, 2016
Armenian
USSR, Armenia, ArmSSR
Yerevan
artistic, documentary, photo correspondent
analogue photography
Galstyan, Vigen. Shadows of Time: The Graphic Art of Gagik Harutyunyan, Lusadaran Ethnos Photography Foundation, Yerevan, KulturDialog Foundation, Erivan, 2017
Kochar, Vahan. Hay lusankarichner, self-published, Erivan, 2007, pp196-201
2017: Shadows of Time: The Filmic Art of Gagik Harutyunyan, Yerevan, Aug 25-September 9
Lusadaran Armenian Photography Foundation, Yerevan
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